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24 Declassified: Head Shot
| pages=384 | isbn=9780061771521}} 24 Declassified: Head Shot is the tenth novel in the 24: Declassified series. Overview Official summary In less than twenty-four hours, in a palatial hideaway in the mountains of Colorado, a group of America's most powerful industrialists will be gathering for their annual summit. The bizarre disappearance of all the members of a local crackpot cult—and of two ATF agents assigned to keep an eye on them—may have no connection whatsoever to the impending high-powered conference. But with so many corporate titans grouped together in one location, CTU can't afford to take chances. Sent to investigate, Jack Bauer is immediately plunged into a maelstrom of treachery, terror, and slaughter as he uncovers clues to a devastating conspiracy that could leave America's most essential institutions in ruins. And now the rogue CTU operative has only hours to prevent the unthinkable—before the relentlessly approaching storm of blood and fire rocks his nation to its foundations. Timeline Head Shot begins at 3:00am on the last Friday of July. It is chronologically before Day 1, as Jack is said to be Special Agent in Charge of CTU Los Angeles. The book references 9/11, and is therefore set in 2002-2003 as it states Jack to be in his "mid-thirties", and he was born in 1966. It presumably takes place very shortly before Day 1 as it suggests that Jack had only just moved back in with Teri and Kim. Format Major subplots Episode guide 3:00am-4:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 3 A.M. AND 4 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. Jack Bauer arrived from Denver at the Zealot compound where several dozen men and women, led by Abelson Prewitt, of a cult set to attack the Sky Mount Round Table conference, had disappeared. So had two agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that were keeping track of them. He was accompanied by CTU Denver agent Frank Neal, who opened the gates to the compound. Jack recalled back to why he was there; Ryan Chappelle had explained that he had detected what he thought to be a stocks scam whereby people took their money out of certain companies that they knew would collapse. He figured that people would know that the stocks would collapse if the Sky Mount Round Table conference -- a meeting of the 200 most influential economists of the U.S. -- was attacked. Chappelle sent Jack there to investigate. They searched around inside the compound, Neal leading Jack. The place was destroyed; bullet holes, smashed glass and blood-stained walls were everywhere. However, there were no bodies and no one had any idea of what had happened there. They heard a rustle and decided to close in on the figure, with Neal warning Jack that it could be a bear. They got close and realised it was not a bear or a Zealot, and confused as to who the shaggy man was decided to interrogate him. 4:00am-5:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 4 A.M. AND 5 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. The shaggy man, calling himself Lobo, rambled on about "devil-men" and "hog-faced demons" that pursued him. Jack and Neal were sceptical. He explained that he lived in a cave nearby and had not eaten for two days, so decided to forage out and search through the food thrown out by the Zealots as he often did. Whilst there, he saw what happened to them; a green fog covered the area before men shot and kidnapped all the Zealots, taking them away in their blue bus. Lobo says that the men saw him and tried to shoot him but missed, and so sent two of their men after him today, which is why he ended up back at the compound. Jack pretended to be part of an "Anti-Beast" government operation and said he would get him a hot meal if he came in and wrote down what he had told them. Lobo happily accepted but was shot dead seconds later. His body fell into Jack's and they tumbled down a hill as Neal was shot straight through the head. The two shooters tried to get Jack but just shot up Lobo's body. Jack made it to cover and took out one of the assailants. They other fled to his car, so Jack pursued him out of the compound. 5:00am-6:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5 A.M. AND 6 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. Jack drove along Nagaii Drive after the assailant. Passing by Mount Nagaii, Jack considered the fact that although the man he was chasing obviously knew the terrain better than him, his SWAT training with the LAPD ensured that he could effectively keep up with the car in front. Jack called Central Denver command and updated them on the situation, but hastily hung up to concentrate on the road. A headache set in caused by the altitude differences between Denver and Los Angeles. The chase continued over a railroad and led into a small village. A police car was parked outside a diner and it began to follow Jack as he sped past at 90 miles an hour. Jack continued on the road up Mount Zebulon and towards a larger town, Random, on the other side. However, two police cars arrived and blocked the road just in front of Jack, but did not assemble in time to stop the first car. Jack pulled the car to a halt, almost crashing into the parked police cars. Bryce and Taggart, the two cops, forced him at gunpoint out of the car. As they cuffed his hands, the two officers who had initially spotted him - Fisk and Stallings - arrived. Jack tried to explain but the officers were not interested; Lieutenant Bryce hit Jack with his own gun and he fell to the floor. 6:00am-7:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 6 A.M. AND 7 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. Jack was taken to a location at Mountain Lake where the police officers - who were a special team set to protect the Sky Mount Round Table - operated out of. Jack was with Hardin, and Taggart took Jack's vehicle. He saw the complex systems within it (used for calling CTU Denver). He managed to make it in contact with them, at which point he realised that Jack was a federal agent. He told Hardin upon arrival, when shortly spoke with Anne Armstrong of CTU Denver on the phone, who explained the situation. Hardin was apologetic to Jack, offering for him to wash himself up and give him a drink. Jack, however, was displeased at losing the witness. Armstrong arrived and Jack went to meet her, getting back at Fisk by punching him in the chest on the way past. Jack met with Armstrong and CTU agent Ernie Sandoval. Sandoval questioned why Fisk was doubled over on the floor and Jack quipped that he had had too much coffee. 7:00am-8:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7 A.M. AND 8 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. Armstrong drove Jack away from the Mountain Lake compound along Rimrock Road. She asked why Jack punched Fisk, and he explained that it was about restoring balance between CTU and the police department, and there was no personal feeling involved. He asked about the Mobile Response Team and Armstrong told him that it was the CPT's way of increasing their profile and political prestige. They finally got out of Mountain Lake State Park, which Armstrong said was closed for the duration of the conference which allowed it to be used as a base for the MRT. As they continued, Jack suggested that the Zealot compound be tested for chemical weapons, following what Lobo had said. She radioed to Central and passed on the suggestion. Jack asked for an aspirin, his headache worsening from the head injury and altitude. As Armstrong rummaged around in her bag to find some, she almost crashed the vehicle into a truck coming the opposite direction around a blind turn. Jack got the aspirin as Armstrong turned onto Masterman Way up towards the Sky Mount Round Table conference centre. They were cleared through security and made it towards the building, the view overlooking Mounts Nagaii, Zebulon and Thunder. The huge building was covered with hundreds of people milling around. Armstrong explained to Jack that the Brand Agency, a private security firm hired by the Masterman Trust (which maintained the Sky Mount building) kept guard. She met with an agent and asked to see Don Bass, who she said to Jack was head of security. The agent seemed dubious of Jack, as if not recognizing him from Jack's CTU ID. They met with Larry Noone instead as, the guard said, Mr. Bass was in a conference with Mr. Wright. Noone, on first name terms with Armstrong already, got in their car and directed them towards the Sky Mount building. 8:00am-9:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8 A.M. AND 9 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. Jack and Armstrong were taken to Marion Clary, the curator of Sky Mount and an associate of Cabot Huntingdon Wright. In the reception area Jack noticed paintings from Italian and Northern Renaissance artists (which he knew as a result of his wife's artistic connections). They exchanged formalities with Clary, who said that Mr. Wright was currently in a meeting with events planners for the day. When Jack said that he thought Wright was meeting with Don Bass, she said that Bass was unexpectedly called away earlier. Noone was called away to deal with an issue at the guardhouse. Clarly told them about H. H. Masterman, Sky Mount's founder, as they waited. Eventually, staffers emerged from Wright's office, and Jack and Armstrong were summoned in. Inside the royal-blue office, they met Wright. Wright greeted them whole-heartedly, saying that it way always good to have more help. He introduced Brad Oliver, his "executive assistant". Oliver went to find Don Bass, with whom they would start the briefing. As they wait, Wright shows off the letter opener of Marshal Fouché that he has. Bass arrived, and Jack updated everyone on the situation. He left out the possibility of a chemical weapon threat, not wanting to stir up unnecessary panic. Wright asked Jack what he thought about the Zealots, and he mused that it could be that one portion of the Zealots were violent and kidnapped the rest when some refused to take action against the Round Table conference. Bass asked about the ATF agents, Dean and O'Hara. Jack suspected that they might have been found out and killed. Wright wondered where the Zealots could be hiding, but Jack said there were plenty of gorges and canyons for that amount of people to hide in. He went on to say that protection of Sky Mount had to be their chief concern, but Bass said that was not an issue because he had the conference covered from all angles. Just as they all agreed that the location was impenetrable, Noone burst into the room and said that the two ATF agents had been found. 9:00am-10:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9 A.M. AND 10 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 10:00am-11:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10 A.M. AND 11 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 11:00am-12:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11 A.M. AND 12 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 12:00pm-1:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 12 P.M. AND 1 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 1:00pm-2:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1 P.M. AND 2 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 2:00pm-3:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 2 P.M. AND 3 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 3:00pm-4:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 3 P.M. AND 4 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 4:00pm-5:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 4 P.M. AND 5 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 5:00pm-6:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5 P.M. AND 6 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 6:00pm-7:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 6 P.M. AND 7 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 7:00pm-8:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7 P.M. AND 8 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 8:00pm-9:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8 P.M. AND 9 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 9:00pm-10:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9 P.M. AND 10 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 10:00pm-11:00pm THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10 P.M. AND 11 P.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 11:00pm-12:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11 P.M. AND 12 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 12:00am-1:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 12 A.M. AND 1 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 1:00am-2:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1 A.M. AND 2 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. 2:00am-3:00am THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 2 A.M. AND 3 A.M. MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME. Memorable quotes * Lobo: I come sneaking around when the moon was low, like I always do when I plan to do me some Dumpster diving. I was up in the rocks when I seen it, a green fog coming out of nowhere and covering the whole camp. Damnedest thing I ever seen. Right off I knew it wasn't natural, wasn't nothing that comes from God's good earth. (4:00am-5:00am) * Bryce Hardin: You'll be wanting to clean up. You can use my private washroom. * Jack Bauer: That's big of you Lieutenant. Mighty big. (6:00am-7:00am) * Anne Armstrong: What was the purpose of that macho display at the station? * Jack Bauer: Equilibrium. * Anne Armstrong: I don't follow. * Jack Bauer: Hardin's boy pistol-whipped me when I was handcuffed. Can't let him get away with that kind of thing. This is an aggressive business with a lot of high-testosterone characters who're always testing the limits to see what they can get away with - and that's just the ones who are supposed to be on our side. You don't want to get the word around that a CTU agent can be roughed up without any consequences. Otherwise our guys lose respect with the other agencies we work with. It's bad for morale. By paying that cop back in kind, proper balance is restored. The word gets out that our guys can't be pushed around without some kind of comeback. * Anne Armstrong: I see. So it was all for the benefit of CTU. There wasn't any personal animosity involved. * Jack Bauer: Personal feelings aside, I did it for the good of the service. (7:00am-8:00am) Appearances *Characters **James Angleton (mentioned only) **Anne Armstrong **Bailey **Al Baranco **Don Bass **Jack Bauer **Kim Bauer (mentioned only) **Teri Bauer (mentioned only) **Napoleon Bonaparte (mentioned only) **Caligula (mentioned only) **Ryan Chappelle **Marion Clary **Samuel Taylor Coleridge (mentioned only) **Cullen **Dean (mentioned only) **Du Pont (mentioned only) **Miller Fisk **Fouché (mentioned only) **Fragonard (mentioned only) **Frith **Orlando Garcia **Lila Gibbs **Grant Graham **Griff **Bryce Hardin **Hearst (mentioned only) **Holtz **Jim Jones (mentioned only) **Lobo **Loogan **Louis XIV (mentioned only) **Ludwig (mentioned only) **Mabel (mentioned only) **Mack (mentioned only) **Francis Masterman (mentioned only) **H.H. Masterman (mentioned only) **Nina Myers (mentioned only) **Frank Neal **Larry Noone **Fenton Norbert **O'Hara (mentioned only) **Brad Oliver **Pedro (mentioned only) **Arthur Pettibone **Plato (mentioned only) **Poussin (mentioned only) **Abelson Prewitt **Robespierre (mentioned only) **Rowdy **Sanchez **Ernie Sandoval **William Shakespeare (mentioned only) **Cletus Skeets **Sharon Stallings **Cole Taggart **Ingrid Thaler **Dirk Vanaheim **Watteau (mentioned only) **Reb Weld **Cabot Wright *Locations **Atlanta (mentioned only) **Baghdad (mentioned only) **Camp Winnetou **Colorado **Colorado Springs (mentioned only) **Cripple Creek (mentioned only) **Darfur (mentioned only) **Denver (mentioned only) **Dixon Cutoff **Earth **Europe (mentioned only) **Garden of the Gods (mentioned only) **Guantanamo Bay (mentioned only) **Iraq (mentioned only) **Jonestown (mentioned only) **Langley (mentioned only) **Lone Pine Gorge **Los Angeles (mentioned only) **Manhattan (mentioned only) **Mars (mentioned only) **Masterman Way **Mississippi River (mentioned only) **Mount Nagaii **Mount Zebulon **Mountain Lake State Park **Mountain Lake Substation **Nagaii Drive **North America **Notre Dame (mentioned only) **Paris (mentioned only) **Pike's Ford (mentioned only) **Pine Ridge **Pup Tent **Random **Red Notch **Rimrock Road **Rocky Mountains **Rome (mentioned only) **San Simeon (mentioned only) **Seattle (mentioned only) **Shadow Valley **Silvertop **Soviet Union (mentioned only) **Sky Mount **South America (mentioned only) **St. Helena (mentioned only) **Sudan (mentioned only) **Texas (mentioned only) **Thunder Mountain **Tokyo (mentioned only) **United States of America **Wall Street (mentioned only) **Washington, D.C. (mentioned only) **Winterthur (mentioned only) *Organizations **Army Intelligence **Aum Shinrikyo **Beretta **Bilderberger **Brand Agency **Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms **Central Intelligence Agency **Colorado State Police **Counter Terrorist Unit **Department of Homeland Security **Federal Bureau of Investigation **Fiduciary Special Investigative Unit **Freemasons **Harley-Davidson **Hellbenders Motorcycle Club **Illuminati **Los Angeles Police Department **Mercedes-Benz **Masterman Trust **People's Temple **Toyota **United States Air Force **United States Army **United States National Guard **Zealots *Objects **.357 magnum **Bear **Bible **BZ **C-4 **Coffee **ELINT **HUMINT **Jaws of Life **LSD (mentioned only) **M4 **M16 **Mustard gas (mentioned only) **''Republic'' **Sarin (mentioned only) **Tear gas (mentioned only) **Thorazine **United States Constitution (mentioned only) **''Whip Them with Scorpions: Driving the Money-Changers from the Temple'' **Whiskey *Events **9/11 (mentioned only) **Cold War (mentioned only) **French Revolution (mentioned only) **Gilded Age (mentioned only) **Project Artichoke (mentioned only) **Sky Mount Round Table **World War I (mentioned only) Background information and notes Production * This novel was released almost exactly a year after the last one. Similarly, the next novel is penned to be released a year after this was published. * Characters mentioned in the novel but not appearing are Nina Myers, Teri Bauer, and Kim Bauer. Continuity * Head Shot states that the creation of CTU was a result of 9/11, completely going against the opening page of all Declassified books that state that it was created in 1993, after the first World Trade Center bombing. Universe * It is noted that a "ten-ten" refers to a unit going off grid for a period of time. * Jack is known as "Unit Three" to Central. * Jack thinks of Teri's work as a graphics designer. * Jack proves himself to have amicable knowledge of history, being able to identify Marshal Fouché as Napoleon's spymaster. Real-world references * The novel references the Waco Siege. This was an attempt in 1993 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel. An exchange of gunfire resulted in the deaths of four agents and six followers of David Koresh. A subsequent 51-day siege by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ended when fire destroyed the compound. Seventy-six people (24 of them British nationals) died in the fire, including more than 20 children, two pregnant women, and Koresh himself. Frank Neal states in the novel that it is because of this incident that ATF agents always monitor cults with guns. * Jack mentioned the Aum Shunrikyo cult and their "sarin nerve gas bombs" in Tokyo subways "some years ago". In 1995 Aum members released sarin in a co-ordinated attack on five trains in the Tokyo subway system, killing 12 commuters, seriously injuring 54 and affecting 980 more. * Marion Clary quotes the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. * In Cabot Huntingdon Wright's office, Jack notices paintings by Watteau, Fragonard and Poussin. * Jack compares the disappearance of the Zealots to the Night of the Long Knives, a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political executions. Category:Fiction books Category:Head Shot